Biography of Ian Laperriere

Ian Laperriere was born January 19, 1974 in the Rivière-des-Prairies area of Montreal. He was the second child and first son of Michel and Francine Laperriere. His sister, Mélanie is two years older. Affectionately known as 'Lappy' to his fans, Ian is a favorite among fans and teammates alike, whether it's scoring a rare but clutch goal, or coming to a teammate's defense with fearless physicality.

When Ian was five, he made his debut in organized hockey. Growing up, he also played baseball and soccer, and his favorite NHL player was Guy Carbonneau of the Montreal Canadiens.

In 1990, Ian was selected in the second round of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League draft by the Drummondville Voltigeurs. He enjoyed a successful junior hockey career, scoring a whopping 378 points in 257 games from 1990 to 1994. His number 14 was later retired by the Voltigeurs organization.

In 1991, Ian and his Drummondville teammates made it to the Memorial Cup final, where they lost to the Spokane Chiefs.

Ian was selected 158th overall in the 1992 Entry Draft by the St. Louis Blues. He was the 4999th draft pick in NHL history.

During the 1992-93 season, Ian finished second in the QMJHL scoring race with 140 points, trailing Drummondville teammate and former Colorado Avalanche player Rene Corbet for the league scoring title. His 96 assists led the QMJHL, and he was selected to the Second QMJHL All-Star Team at center. He was also the co-recipient of the QMJHL's Molson Cup trophy as Rookie of the Year, an honor he shared that season with Martin Lapointe.

In the 1993-94 season, he led Drummondville in scoring and placed sixth in the QMJHL with 113 points (41g/72a). On February 26, he scored 10 points (3g/7a) in a game against the Val-d'Or Foreurs. He was recalled under emergency conditions to St. Louis and made his NHL debut on March 3 versus Vancouver.

Ian began his first season as a pro with the Blues' IHL affiliate, the Peoria Rivermen. In the lockout-shortened 1994-95 NHL season, he made his debut with the Blues on January 31 and appeared in 37 of the Blues' 48 games. He ranked fourth in NHL rookie scoring with 27 points (13g/14a), and his totals also ranked him third in assists and sixth in goals amongst NHL rookies. That season he also led the NHL in shooting percentage (24.5%), the first rookie to lead the League since Warren Young of Pittsburgh did so in 1984-85. He scored his first career NHL goal and registered his first assist on January 31 versus Anaheim.

In 1995-96, Ian was first traded in December to the New York Rangers for Stéphane Matteau. On March 14, he was traded with Ray Ferraro, Mattias Norstrom, Nathan Lafayette and a fourth-round draft pick to the Los Angeles Kings for Jari Kurri, Marty McSorley and Shane Churla. His girlfriend - and future wife - Magali, whom he had dated since he was 15, later joined him in Los Angeles. He made his Kings debut on March 16 versus Edmonton. In 71 games between the three teams, Ian scored 17 points. He also racked up 22 penalty minutes and three points in three games for the AHL's Worcester Ice Cats.